Tall Grass Areas

Tall Grass Areas are portions of lawns and meadows on the The Grounds at Camp Deerpark that are set aside in a natural state without regular mowing as part of our Stewardship Initiative, especially our work in Biodiversity Stewardship. Many species of birds, insects, and mammals use tall grass areas for nesting sites and feeding, and allowing these areas to remain wild supports these species. In addition to this benefit to Creation, reducing mowing saves costs in labor, fuel, and maintenance and lowers related carbon emissions and pollution.

Mowing of tall grass areas is done once annually or less to lower shrub and tree encroachment in open areas. This mowing should be done between August 15 and October 31 to prevent disturbing ground nesting Spring and Summer birds and overwintering birds in the late season. More details on NYS DEC programs to help land managers increase grassland biodiversity is available here (see Appendix 1).